Novel microwave initiated synthesis of Zn2SiO4 and MCrO4 (M = Ca, Sr, Ba, Pb)

A novel microwave initiated solid-state metathesis synthesis of metal chromates and zinc silicate has been investigated. The high lattice energy of NaCl drives the solid-state metathesis reaction (CaCl2 center dot 2H(2)O + Na2CrO4 center dot 4H(2)O -> NaCl + CaCrO4 + 6H(2)O up arrow) in the forward direction to obtain the products. The structural, optical, and chemical properties of synthesized compounds are determined by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and diffused reflectance spectroscopy in the UV-vis range. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.